Embroidery Machine

Hi everyone,

On my to-do list, I still need to make some bibs for my future grandchild. I can already sew them. But while scrolling through the internet, I also found lots of beautiful designs that were embroidered with either motifs or a name. I really liked those. But without an embroidery machine, I can’t recreate them.

Unfortunately, I don’t have an embroidery machine—but that could still change. After all, people always have wishes and goals. That’s why I wanted to ask you:

1. What kind of embroidery machine do you have, and are you happy with it?
2. What do you embroider with it? Can you post pictures of your work here?
3. Was it worth the purchase for you, or is the machine just sitting around after being used only once? 

Thank you so much for your answers.

Best regards, Ina
 

Dear Ina,

I have a Brother inovis. It’s getting a bit old, and I actually bought it secondhand. By now, the machines have surely come a long way. 

With my machine, I’ve embroidered lettering for health record book covers, maternity record book covers, scarves, spelt pillows, and so on.

I’ve also purchased embroidery files for various little pouches, wallets, and even an Advent calendar. They turned out great.

The downside of my machine is that it’s a “diva” 😂 Even the tiniest specks of dust near the bobbin area make it refuse to work. When I didn’t know that at first, I thought it was broken. But a friendly blogger helped me out back then.

I hope you make a good choice.

Best regards 

Claudia

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head right now.

Dear Claudia,

now that I’ve seen your beautiful lettering, I actually envy you for your aging Diva. The fonts are a dream—and so are your creations made with them. Thank you so much for your detailed reply.

Given the prices of embroidery machines, it’s definitely a major purchase. But I love lettering and sewing—I find that combination so wonderfully personal. 

May I ask how big your embroidery hoop is? You’re kind of stuck with that size—it doesn’t get any bigger than that. And how much space does an embroidery machine take up? There’s absolutely no room for it in my attic room. I’d have to convince my husband to clear out his side of the attic. But that’s step 2. First, I’ll gather more information and see if I catch the bug.

Maybe someone could describe or show, in broad strokes, how the design process for lettering like this works—from the initial idea to the finished lettering on the fabric. I’d find that very interesting. 

Best regards, Ina

Dear Inge,

thank you so much for your post, too. Your creations are all wonderful as well. You simply can’t embroider something this delicate by hand. 

The ones with the large hoop—yes, that’s what I thought too. Since an embroidery machine with a small hoop is already expensive, you might end up regretting later that you should have just bought one with a large hoop right away. Otherwise, you’ll end up with two huge expenses. How big is the hoop on your embroidery machine with the large hoop?

And does the Embird embroidery software cost extra? 

You’re obviously a perfect seamstress, and since you’ve been embroidering since 2009, you’ve really got the hang of it. I don’t even know if I’ll ever get to the point where I design my own patterns. As a beginner at embroidery, if I just want to embroider some lettering, can I do that if all I have is an embroidery machine?

Best regards, Ina

Dear Ina, 

I’ve been an embroidery machine owner since the beginning of the year, too. 

I went with a Pfaff sewing/embroidery combo machine. 

I chose this one because it was the cheapest option at the time and I liked the color combination (blue/white). I didn’t want to spend any more than that, since I wasn’t sure if I’d stay hooked on embroidery in the long run. Unfortunately, the machine was defective when it arrived (I couldn’t wind the bobbin) and I had to send everything back; I received a new machine, but by then I’d already lost interest. On top of that, there aren’t any great tutorial videos for this machine, and I have to figure out the touchscreen intuitively, which isn’t going so well either. 

Most recently, it just stopped embroidering in the middle of a pattern—something had gotten knotted up—and it was a huge hassle to cut the fabric out of there; from that point on, I just didn’t feel like dealing with it anymore. Now it’s sitting under my sewing table. I’d love to use it to embellish a sewn garment, for example, but I’m so nervous that it’ll act up again—then all that work would have been for nothing! 

Now I have everything here—the stabilizer and embroidery thread—I had to buy it all separately and it’s not exactly cheap—and I haven’t wanted to use it for several months now. 

For me, it’s a total bust right now. What a waste of money. 

That’s also why I never dared to buy embroidery designs, since I’d never really dealt with loading files into the machine. 

Until then, the existing patterns were enough for me. First, I embroidered a dragonfly and butterflies on a neck roll. Then a name on a pillow. And some mandalas on a cover. 

I’d imagined it would be easier, and I consider myself technically gifted when it comes to this sort of thing. But without someone who knows this machine well—and relying only on the manual—you don’t get very far. 

With Inge, I would’ve had a great advisor, but her machine would’ve been another 500 euros more expensive. 

I hope I’ll feel like doing it again someday. Otherwise, it was an expensive idea that fizzled out quickly. 

Best,

Anja 

Dear Anja,

thank you so much for your honest post. You’ve put my concerns into words. I don’t know if this whole embroidery thing is just a passing fad for me. You can get excited about all sorts of things, but I can’t say whether that enthusiasm will last. An embroidery machine like that is really expensive—you can’t afford to make a bad purchase.

If I decide to buy one, I’d obviously dive right in. But how often would I use it? How often would I embroider a design? Would that be more often or less often for me? Given the cost of an embroidery machine, that’s something to think through carefully. Just because I like the names on the planned bibs—or the pictures you posted above—doesn’t mean I’d actually use it all the time. 

So, thank you all very much for your answers. I’ll just let the idea sink in for a while and then see if my enthusiasm for it lasts. 

Best regards, Ina

Dear Ina and everyone else,

I now have a moment to share my experience.

I bought a Brother Innovis 1250 in 2011. Back then, I wasn’t just sewing for ourselves at home—I was also running a small business selling on Dawanda and regularly did a very large Christmas market.
I chose this combination machine because I wanted to reduce the risk of my Pfaff sewing machine developing a problem in the middle of orders and having to go in for repairs. I also chose the 1250 because it has the large embroidery hoop (and can also work with the various small embroidery hoops that were included with the machine). Operating the machine is incredibly simple. Good machine embroidery thread is a must for beautiful results—but that goes for all embroidery machines. In many cases, embroidery stabilizer can be replaced with newspaper or paper towels, as I quickly discovered over years of intensive use. Spray-on temporary adhesive (unfortunately relatively expensive) is a great help when embroidering small pieces of fabric.
I’ve bought quite a few design files over the years. Some were needed specifically for certain projects, while others I simply liked—and some have never even been used 🫣—it’s like buying yarn or fabric, only it takes up much less space 😂.
I also bought a program from Brother (in a super-special sale) that lets me create my own files. Since I’m not keen on dealing with computer details, my knowledge is pretty basic, but I’ve still been able to complete a few projects with it.

My embroidery machine has been sitting idle for a few years now—just like my sewing machine most of the time—because I still don’t have a new sewing room in the house. But as soon as that’s finally sorted out, I’ll get back into sewing and embroidery more.

The only thing I wouldn’t do again: I wouldn’t buy a combination machine—I’d get a dedicated embroidery machine instead.   

My tip:

Is there a sewing machine dealer nearby? Go there for advice. They might even have some affordable used machines.

Best regards 

Thank you, dear Nina, for your detailed post. You’ve been embroidering professionally/commercially since 2011. For you, a purchase like that is worth it. But just for me alone, it seems way too expensive. But who knows—I still need to let the idea simmer.

I’ve also come to the conclusion that a combo model isn’t right for me. Embroidery and an embroidery machine are major commitments that require a lot of time and attention. It’s not just a side purchase or a side project. You really have to think it through and be committed—I’m working on it.

Best regards, Ina

I think Nina’s tip is really valuable. If you have the chance to try out an embroidery machine somewhere, I’d take advantage of it. 

When I bought my embroidery machine (shout-out to Inge—it’s a Brother Innov-is 750E with the 13 x 18 embroidery hoop), I was a bit naive, too. I’d imagined machine embroidery to be completely different...

Plus, I didn’t have enough money to buy a brand-new machine, so I got it on eba.... Once I’d gone through with it, I was sweating bullets because I had to pay upfront and wasn’t sure if I’d fallen for a scammer.

That didn’t turn out to be the case, and I got a machine in great condition for a good price, complete with lots of accessories.

I can’t say whether it’s paid for itself. But it’s also my hobby, just like all the money I spend on fabric and yarn and the serger, etc. 

So what I’m trying to say is, you can

1. buy it used (which saves you some money)

2. you could also resell it (then the expense isn’t quite as big)

3. or you could just use it every now and then and enjoy it

4. maybe watch some videos on how to use an embroidery machine to get an idea of what’s possible

5. you do have a small business, after all, so you could expand your offerings in that direction

I hope this helps you make a good decision.

Thank you, dear Claro.

Everything takes time, and even the process of exploring what you desire beforehand is a small pleasure in itself—one that should be savored fully. In the process, the desire will either grow or turn out to be a flash in the pan. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to give such detailed answers. 

Best regards, Ina

Update

I thought it was such a shame that the embroidery machine—which wasn’t exactly cheap—was just sitting unused under the table, so I used AI to find some new information. That’s how I ended up asking the online retailer if they’d take it in trade and let me buy another one from them. They agreed to this at a super fair price, and as of Saturday, I’m now the proud owner of a Brother embroidery machine. Until it finally arrived (the old machine still had to be inspected there, which took a week), I watched every video I could find about this model—and there were a lot of them.

So I was already familiar with it by the time I had it on my table. It’s really intuitive—my first test stitch-out turned out great. There are still a few little things I need to learn; yesterday the thread came loose, and I still need to figure out how to go back a few stitches (I ended up Googling that). 

I did my first ITH project yesterday and I’m blown away! 

I had to spend hours figuring out the technical side of things: connecting to Wi-Fi, downloading the embroidery software onto my laptop so I could view the files, and creating a folder on my phone so I could send the files from there to the embroidery app (which I also had to download). 

When one file gave me trouble, I had to figure out how to transfer designs using a USB drive (not that hard, but first I had to find a compatible drive—it has to support a specific format and can’t be too big… phew). 

When shopping, be sure to keep an eye on the prices and only buy when there are discounts—it’s really worth it! 

Dear Anja, 

congratulations on your new embroidery machine! That’s really, really great. I’m so happy for you. You just needed the other one first to realize what you were missing and what the next one should be able to do. And thanks to our discussion, you’ve gained even deeper insights. 

For me, the topic of embroidery machines is still on the back burner. Everything takes time to come to fruition. 

I hope you have lots of fun exploring your new little machine and get some beautiful results. 

Best regards, Ina